← The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business
The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business
866: The Power of In-Person: A Peek Into the Magic of Our Team Building Retreat
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- [00:02]
Jenna Kutcher
This episode is brought to you by Shippo, your one stop solution for shipping labels. Helping small businesses just like yours save up to 90% off retail rates for a limited time. Shippo is offering listeners 25 in Shippo credit when you spend your first $25. That means shipping your first package is basically free. I will never forget those early days after launching my online shop. Our living room was filled with prints and products and I was taping up boxes late at night. Printing shipping labels, man. And paying full price from the big carriers. Let me tell you, it was exciting, but shipping was hands down the most stressful part. That's why I wish I had Shippo sooner. With Shippo, you can manage all of your orders from one dashboard, connect your stores, print labels in batches and get real time tracking. It is a total sanity saver. So head over to Shippo.com Gold Digger and claim your spend 25 get 25 offer today. That's Shippo S H I P O.com Gold Digger let me tell you, as a boss and a leader, having a strong connection throughout your team will change the way that you do business. It'll change the way that you work. It will change your attitude around work. It will change the way that you communicate with your peers in the company. Like and so it was just amazing. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a 300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks. All from my house in small town Minnesota with my family Here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical, no fluff marketing strategies and host honest, honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired and empowered. This is the Goal Digger podcast. First, let's talk about the intentionality behind a retreat. So I have been hosting team retreats for the last few years and I've had a few different styles. So my first team retreat that we ever did. It was full relaxation. We did not do a darn thing for work. I mean, naturally, work would come up in a few of the conversations, but there was like, literally nothing planned that was about work. It was a celebration relaxation trip. We've also done our team retreat where we are working. So it was during a huge launch. We were all sprawled out at this table, all on our laptops, working together, collaborating, and it was amazing. It was like this unbeatable energy that we just don't get when we're working remote. So when I was planning this year's team retreat, I wanted it to be a mix of both. I wanted it to be celebration and relaxation. But I also wanted to take advantage of this face to face time and the ability to just communicate without calendar restrictions, without Internet interruptions. And so this year's team retreat was kind of a mix of work and play. It felt like this natural ebb and flow between business and life. And I would smile because most of the time as we were all hanging out, we were just talking about life. We're talking about relationships, marriage, kids, politics, religion. I mean, we went across the board when it came to conversations. But then we also had these beautiful sessions where we were all in on work. The main goal of this retreat wasn't to solve a huge problem or to plan a big launch. It really was to vision cast for the future, to. To really make sure that as we continue to grow and evolve as humans and I continue to grow and evolve as a leader, that we stay in alignment. And the last big goal of this retreat was just reconnecting, like, making sure that the team leans on each other's strengths and that they reconnect to me as a leader. Well, let's dive on in. Let's talk team retreats. So let me just preface this and say that I was nearly a decade into entrepreneurship before I ever had a team retreat. In fact, I didn't even really know what a team retreat would be. And so I have been doing team retreats for about five years. We've had four team retreats in the last five years, and we've had a few different styles of retreats. So a few of our retreats were literally like full relaxation, no work. It was basically like a gathering and a celebration. We used to tease that it was like a bachelorette party, but there was nobody getting married. That's what it felt like. We've also done a team retreat in the past where it was a working retreat. And we, like, picture us in this hotel Restaurant sprawled out across this huge banquet table, all with our laptops out, collaborating, working together. We would literally, like, set timers and work on something and then we'd come together. And so we've had both styles of retreats. And this year, for the retreat, I wanted it to be a mix of work and play. So I wanted it to have this, like, natural ebb and flow between business in life. Because in reality, we haven't seen each other in two years in the flesh. And so we have a lot to catch up on that isn't always possible to catch up on via Slack. But I also wanted to take advantage of the fact that, like, we are all together. We don't get to do this often. We don't get to really focus in on something and go deep on something. And so the main goal of this retreat was really vision, casting, alignment, and reconnection. The goal here for me wasn't to, like, solve a huge problem or to plan a big promotion. It was really to just reconnect the team to each other. So reconnect with each other's strengths, but then also reconnect the team to me as their leader. So, team retreats, one thing to note is that they often have a lot of logistics. And I have to give a shout out to Marissa. She is my right hand. But as soon as we decided, okay, we're going to do a team retreat, she ran with the logistics. And we have gone to the same place every single time, which has been so helpful because it's familiar, it's easy to get to from the airport. It's central for all of the places we're flying in from. We have people from Canada, Ohio, Minnesota, California, Oregon. Like, we're all over the map. And so we have gone to the same place. We know what to expect. We know the lay of the land, we know what the food's going to be like. Like, it's very easy. And so Marissa handled all the logistics. That part's not easy, but she handled it like a boss in terms of booking hotel rooms, getting reservations, figuring out dinner plans. And then I also always book a spa appointment for every team member, which I am a spa girly. I, like, love a good robe and a good spa treatment. And so every single year that we've done a team retreat, I get my team members a spa appointment. And so Marissa handled all of those logistics, which was amazing. And so, like I said, it was a total mix of, like, relaxation and celebration, along with some focused work and inspiration and ideation is what I would Say, and that was the intention. And one thing that I think is important to talk about is it's an expense, right? Like, you have to invest in flights, hotels, taxis, food. Like, it is not necessarily cheap to host something like this, especially if you have a team like I do, where we had 12 people flying in from all over the world and spending the night for a few nights. And so it is an investment. But for me, it is such a worthy investment because we get a lot done. Remote. But when people can reconnect to me and who I am right now at this stage of my life and where I see the business going, and if they can reconnect to one another and be reminded of the genius that we have amongst ourselves and the special gifts that we all contain, it will make my life ultimately easier in the long run. And it'll make us so much more anchored in the vision of where we are and where we're headed. And so when I look at legitimizing the expense of a team retreat, I'm like, this is absolutely worth it. Because even if a retreat would help maybe reconnect somebody and retain them as a team member, like, that's gonna save you a lot of money in the long run. Or if it helps people collaborate better, or if it brings up one idea that could make you more money as a company again, all of those things are absolutely possible on a retreat, and they all make it absolutely worth it. So here's kind of how we structured it. So we flew in on a Tuesday. I booked the stupid early flight, like the like 5am flight, which meant I had to wake up at like 4am, which meant I didn't sleep at all and got up at 3am, which meant my kids were already anxious about me leaving at 2am, which meant I basically just didn't sleep. So I had the stupid early flight, which put me in to Arizona at 9am And I was so excited when I got to the hotel and my room was ready because I just needed to take a cat nap. But essentially everybody flew in on Tuesday and we all kind of arrived mid morning to early afternoon. And we just met by the pool. And so we all had our suits on, we were all ordering poolside food and drinks and just chatting and catching up. And then that night we were gonna go out to dinner. And as we were planning the retreat, I was like, you know what, guys? After everybody's flying in in a travel day, what do you think if we just ordered takeout and we all hung out in somebody's hotel room? And just, like, relax. Like, that, to me, is, like, the dream. It might not be someone else's dream, but, like, I love takeout in a hotel room and, like, not having to get dressed up. And so it was so much fun. We met up at one of our rooms. We were, like, inside and outside until it started raining, which was so ironic in Arizona. And we all scooted into one hotel room, and we're all, like, sharing food. Some people got sushi, some people got pizza. Like, we all ordered whatever we wanted. And this was a really awesome night because it was super intimate, mostly because of the space. But we talked a ton about brand positioning and messaging and just who it is that we serve and why we love to serve them. And so it was really just a simple and honest conversation of, like, who are we right now? Why do we do what we do? And who is it that we're creating for? And I will never forget this moment where I kind of, like, stepped up on a metaphorical soapbox. But, like, I love serving beginners. Like, I absolutely love serving that niche of the market. People that are bold enough to take their first step in to try something new to launch their business or put out their first offer. Like, helping somebody get their first win is my absolute favorite thing. And so I talked about this to my team for a while. Like, I have such a heart for beginners, because I know what it feels like to bet on yourself, and I know how scary it is. And there are so many other people in the market who are now, like, I'm done with beginners. I'm over it. I want to teach more elevated strategies. And I'm like, I love this segment. Like, I want to be there for every first step. That's it. I love it. And so we talked a lot about how do we continue to serve that area of our audience. How do we simplify the journey for our audience, and how do we kind of consolidate all. All of the information we have out there? Like, we have thousands of blog posts and hundreds of podcast episodes. How do we help people find exactly what they need and how do we do it faster? And so that night, it was super informal. Nobody was taking notes. Nobody had laptops out. It was just this, like, very heartfelt discussion about what we love, who we love, who we're serving, and, like, how do we make this process easier for them? Because when you are just starting out, there is so much information everywhere. It's information overload. It's hard to know what step to take first and what is the right method. And where you should begin. And so we just had this like very beautiful conversation and it felt like one of those like popcorn conversations where one person would go and then somebody would riff off of that and then somebody would have a different perspective and it was just really beautiful. And so that was our first night and honestly, I loved it. I couldn't believe I made it up till like 9:30 or 10:00 because I barely slept a wink the night before. And so I was just so proud. But it was just so nice to be in the energy with the team.
- [12:52]
Marissa
Hey, hey, it's Marissa, VP of Ops on Team JK and co host of this retreat alongside Jenna. And we thought it would be so fun for you to hear from me and several other members of our team about our personal experiences throughout this episode. So let me start by painting the picture behind a few of my favorite retreat moments. Now envision 12 women scattered about a spacious hotel room. Some sitting on the bed, some spattered on the floor, a few on a cozy couch. We're eating takeout, totally relaxed, yet vibrating in this togetherness. I mean, it was truly a vibe. And as we sit and munch, we start casually chatting about the brand mission and messaging, the way we want to connect with humans and support their success so deeply. We shared ideas and you could truly feel like the brain bubble sparks as we worked our way around. I mean, cue the strong head nods and brain bumping as thoughts popcorn about. And you know, we love a little woo and work intersection. And with so many different energies on one team, this in person time had and absolutely has the power to unlock and fuel just really cool creativity and strategy and even gap sightings. It deepens trust and camaraderie in such a way that slack messages loom videos. I mean zoom just never will or could. And after we hive minded one of our team members, Shannon then kicked off a prompt and it was if you could do anyone else's job on the team, what would it be? And from a leadership and ops perspective, I loved this cue because it gave me a little behind the scenes insight into where unspoken interests or talents may lie. And that then speaks to me as future cross training opportunities or role expansion possibilities, none of which need immediate action, but are good to have when thinking about how to develop and retain your talent down the road.
- [14:51]
Jenna Kutcher
Then the following day we did breakfast and so we were all kind of meeting up. We did later start times because people are from different time zones. We had moms who were nursing, so they were pumping like we were just trying to make it really ease filled, not super busy. So we met up after breakfast and we sat outside the restaurant and we did a couple hour session. So before we left for the team retreat, I was brainstorming just different questions for the team to help them really think through and come to the retreat prepared to answer a few questions. So here were the three questions that I asked the team to show up to the retreat with thoughts. So the first question was, what is one creative or strategic idea you've been itching to try either in your area or in the business as a whole, and what, if anything, has held you back from trying it? The second one was, what is working really well in your area right now? What is one thing that feels like a roadblock and could the team help you clear it? And then the last one is, if there were no limitations, budget, or time, what is one bold strategy you would love to see us try to drive? Big results this year. So those were the three questions that the team showed up as. And what was interesting is, is during our second day, we had already kind of covered a lot of these ideas in our just casual session the night before. And so we sat down and every single team member shared just a different idea that they had. And then we as a team kind of doubled down on a few of our favorites. So we had like 12 different ideas. And then we were like, okay, let's go deeper on, like, two or three of these. And the goal was not to leave feeling overwhelmed. The goal was to leave just feeling centered. And so it was a really nice approach. And there was certain ideas where, like, two of our team members were sharing a hotel room, and they were like, okay, last night we had this idea. We were going back and forth. We were like, so excited about it, and it was just like, awesome because you could feel the energy that is just not happening over zoom or slack. And so just like, those conversations were so rich. So we did the brainstorming session, Then we went to the spa. We all hung out by the spa pool, continued conversations, got our spa appointments, and then we went out to this, like, wonderful, wonderful dinner. It was so much fun. One of my team members, it was her birthday the next day. So we sang Happy Birthday and it was just a great, great day. And then the last day of the retreat was when everybody was flying out, but most people didn't have flights until the afternoon. And so we just hung out at the restaurant. And we were kind of a revolving door between the pool and the restaurant, just connecting, getting back into work and enjoying the last few minutes of the retreat. So it was very simple. There wasn't a lot of structure. It was wonderful. And it had just this beautiful rhythm of, like, being restful since most of the people on my team are mothers and leaving their children behind, but also just having this creative energy. And so I loved it.
- [17:50]
Christie
Hi, my name's Christie, the Gold Digger podcast producer. And this was my second retreat with this amazing team. And I just have to say, I absolutely love the simple structure that Jenna and Marissa prioritize for the time that we have together. I mean, we had dinner reservations and massage appointments booked, and we also had like a team brainstorming session on Wednesday morning. But besides those, the few days we spent at the resort were really free flowing. We could choose when and where we ate our other meals, when we went to the pool or worked out or napped, or if you're like me. I honestly spent my days sipping a pina colada by the pool and chatting about my favorite books with my co workers. It was so relaxing to just be together and not be tied to a mandatory agenda of meetings and breakout sessions and lectures. So, yeah, that's definitely my favorite part.
- [18:43]
Jenna Kutcher
So here we're kind of the heart of the conversations. So again, thinking about creative and strategic ideas that we've been itching to try, really discerning. Okay, this has been working really well and this is where I need more help. And then we kind of positioned the last one. Instead of saying, like, what is a bold strategy? We positioned it as this prompt of like, wouldn't it be crazy if. And you, like, fill in the blank. Like, wouldn't it be crazy to just try this sort of launch? Or wouldn't it be crazy to hire a video team for the next launch? And so it was just really fun conversations and certain things. I was like, okay, I probably don't necessarily want to pursue that, but I love that idea. So, like, what would that look like? Or so let's table a few of these brilliant ideas and revisit them during a slower season in the business, like summer. So I also had during this retreat just a lot of reflections on leadership and growth. You know, it's so interesting because for so many entrepreneurs, we start out as solopreneurs. So we were joking at one point of like, I have played everybody else's position in the room at some point in my business, and I was telling them stories of like, a few of my first launches where it was literally like, me, myself, and I, like, I would do the webinar, then I'd get off of the webinar, and I'd edit the webinar, Then I'd send the email for the replay of the webinar. And we were just, like, laughing so hard because it's hard to believe that one person was managing all of it. And let me tell you, it wasn't half as good as it is now, but it was also just interesting to, like, look around the table and recognize that, like, I have built a business that supports 12 people and their families, their kids, that they are reliant on this business and the success of it for their livelihood. Like, it was both beautiful and also like, holy crap, this is wild. We also have a few team members that have been with me for nearly eight years. And so if you think about that, like, in Internet years, that's like a hundred years, right? And so we have walked through so much life. Like, some of my team members have been with me through my pregnancy losses, through becoming a mom, through moving back to Minnesota, like, all of these huge life transitions and all those life transitions for me, but they've also had their own life transitions. And so when I think about, like, the depth of our relationships, not just working relationships, but, like, real relationships, it's honestly so beautiful because if you're going to build something and you're going to have people be a part of it, like, do it with people that you actually love and enjoy being with.
- [21:24]
Kerry Swetman
Hello, this is Kerry Swetman, and I am the team Jenna Kutcher, ads manager. Jenna and I have been working together since 2016, which is wild to say so, eight and a half years together. As a mom, I tend to think of things in kid years, and My youngest was 2 when I started working with Jenna, and he is 10 going on 11 now. So you can imagine all of the life that has been lived in those years and some really crazy ones around 2020. Everything that we have done together, not only in life, but as business owners and to grow the brand, it has just been absolutely incredible to watch and to watch the team grow. The retreat that we just did was pure magic. It's very classically Jenna, and I think that that's why we've been able to work so well together for so long. It's the perfect mix of smart and thoughtful business with good food and sunshine. And if you know j that is just her, there is a high level of respect and trust for each other's skills, and I just really, really appreciate that. In fact, when her team says that they're thinking about doing a retreat, literally none of us hesitate. It's a no brainer. It is so incredibly good for the soul. We genuinely love to be together.
- [22:50]
Jenna Kutcher
And it was funny because on the last day we were sitting by the pool and we were all just like laughing and having a great time and I was like, isn't it weird to think that like a lot of us would choose to go on a trip with each other? Like, it's a really beautiful environment. We all come from very different walks of life, different decades of life. We have different beliefs, we have different lifestyles, like, and so it was just like really rich. And I felt like it was seeing the team all together and seeing all the different personalities and all the different types of people that we have on our team. It was just like really beautiful because it felt like a reflection also of our community. And I don't know, I just, I really like had to step back a few different times and be like, wow, I cannot believe that the little Craigslist camera girl turned a business into something like this. So let's talk about the power of in person connection, because like I said, it is an investment to be able to get people into a room together or around a pool together if you're like us. But I feel like it is so incredible to be able to watch people communicate and listen to them and have deeper conversations and hear about their lives and hear about that funny thing that happened on Slack. Like one night we were talking about hilarious emojis that we use. And like now there's like so many inside jokes happening in Slack. And so there is something so beautiful about gathering together, being able to hug each other, being able to lay on a hotel bed and connect with each other and just connect in that way. And so I feel like what is powerful is the things that you necessarily can't put monetary values on, right? Like, you're investing in this connection and you can't really put a monetary value on connection. But let me tell you, as a boss and a leader, having a strong connection throughout your team will change the way that you do business. It'll change the way that you work, it will change your attitude around work, it will change the way that you communicate with your peers in the company. Like, and so it was just amazing.
- [25:01]
Maddie
Hey, this is Maddie. I'm the graphic designer on the team. And this is actually the third retreat I've been on since joining the team about just over five years ago. And there's this priceless, invaluable part of a retreat about being together in person as a team. That is fully remote, that is just so magically unpredictable. There's lots of things that we did to prepare and kind of bring ideas to the table and plan. And business wise, there was work that we did and there was things we thought about before we went. But the magic I think really lies in everything that goes on beyond that, when we learn more about everybody's sense of humor, their hobbies and skills outside of their role. We even talked if you could do one other role on the team, what would it be? And it was cool to see all the different things people found interesting or they had experience with that we didn't even know. And it all kind of comes to light. And I just think the impact of being together means you have all this opportunity for spontaneity, for things to just come up the way that they can't really just come up if you're in Slack all the time. And Slack is so helpful for the productivity side. But I'm the type of person that when I'm in Slack, I'm not usually making small talk, usually getting right to the heart of what we're doing. I'm usually pretty work focused and I love that there's just so much more chance to get to know people beyond that and make a connection that really has everybody bought into supporting each other on a whole. Another level, it's not just about succeeding as a business, which of course it is about that, but it's also about how can we make this even more enjoyable than it already is. How can we make every single person feel like they have people they can ask questions to or just know they've, we've all got each other's backs. And being that a bunch of us on the team are moms, me being a new mom with a one year old, it also was just such a great opportunity to be like we are all in this one place doing something very similar. How can we all lean on each other for help there? And so that part of it is like seeing how we can go beyond what we do every day in Slack is really where the in person retreat is just, just so valuable.
- [27:14]
Jenna Kutcher
Now you might not realize this, but like I love remote work. So ever since I started my company, I have always had remote employees. So what that means is like I never see people on my team like there is somebody who worked for me for many years and I never once met them in real life and that might not be super common. But one, I love being home, I don't love to travel, and two, we just get it Done. It's like we have busy lives outside of work, and so it's just not a huge priority to always be flying together, to be doing, like, in person meetings. Like one of my friends, I think they do quarterly in person meetings. She'll also have her team come to our house often. And like, one, we kind of live in the middle of nowhere, so it's not necessarily easy to get to our house. But two, it is one of those things that it's like we are just in our lives when we're not working. And so for me, I love remote work, but we have come a long way in terms of creating deeper connection among a remote team. And the way that I've structured my team and my business is that most of my team members are almost like working in a silo. So they own a specific area of the business. Most of the time they can complete their tasks without pulling in other team members. And so it's like they are the owner of that. But I think that there is so much beautiful synergy amongst our team. And also we have team members from so many different backgrounds that have these, like, hidden talents or these efficiencies that they just, like, know and understand that we can forget about. And so when we're together, we're often reminded of like, oh, yeah, you used to work for that, like, video YouTube girl, right? You know how to edit video? Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh. Okay, could you help us with this one thing? And so you kind of start to uncover your team members, geniuses in other areas that can help expand the business. And so it's funny because when Marissa, my right hand gals, started right after I had Coco, so about six years ago, we weren't even doing team meetings. Like, I never had a team meeting because everybody was siloed and everybody was direct reporting to me. And so I was basically the manager of all the tasks and projects that were happening. Which let me tell you, as a founder, it's not the best way to do things. But that's how we had gotten to where we had gotten. And so we now do every other week a team call on Zoom, where we do kind of around Robin. Sometimes we'll ask like a fun question of, like, tell us your favorite memory about X, Y or Z or what is the best birthday gift you've ever gotten. And then we just kind of COVID what is happening in our areas so that the team knows, okay, here's what we're focusing on. Here's what people might be needing from me. Here's what I need from other people. But in those meetings we're usually quick and efficient and we're not really down for a lot of chit chat. And so having remote teams, it's important to figure out different ways to connect with your team members, but also connect your team with each other to help eliminate being the person that is micromanaging and catching all the tasks. Because I have learned, especially with my adhd, I do not trust myself to catch all the tasks. One of my greatest fears in life as a human, but also as a business owner is that I'm forgetting something. Like I constantly feel like I'm forgetting something. And so the more that you can connect your team and give them that ownership, the less that you have to make sure that you are remembering all the things. And so consider getting together in real life, whatever that could look like if you are someone who is running a remote team. I know so many of my peers, when they get their teams together, it's like they conquer the world. Like they solve the world's problems or what it feels like in just a few days and they recognize like, wow, we can make so much progress on something when we are focused on it and sitting side by side and able to converse about it and have communication beyond just slack or email. And so definitely consider it. So if you have a small virtual team set up like a longer zoom call, like maybe you do like a quarterly Zoom retreat, have everyone doordash in something fun if they can and then maybe tackle a project from start to finish or host like a fun office hours where people can brainstorm, ask questions. One of the things we talked about on our team is that we have a few people with ADHD and there's this idea of body doubling and I've actually done this a few different ways. One way to body double is to literally record yourself doing a task and you knowing that you're being recorded makes you stay on task better. But another way that you can do this is pop open zoom and just work side by side with somebody. You're not even talking to them, but you're both on Zoom so you feel more accountable of like I'm gonna knock this thing out in the next two hours. We're just gonna have Zoom open so that we can help hold each other accountable. And knowing that the other person is there is gonna help me stay on task. And so we were talking about just different ways that we could incorporate in co working amongst our business so that not only are we staying in closer communication, but we're also Leveraging strategies that help us stay on task and, like, complete a project in the timeframe that we want to.
- [32:29]
Christie
Hey, this is Kayleigh and I'm the Pinterest manager on the team. Personally, I think that being a fully remote team is invaluable to our processes. We're all able to sort of put our heads down, focus on our own work, focus on our own areas, but then our touch pace calls are great for keeping up with each other and checking in and seeing how each other's doing. I think our team flow really keeps things moving in a way that feels not only productive, but also, at least for me, sustainable for the long haul. I'm able to hop on for calls, but otherwise I just work when it fits best with my life, which sometimes means logging on at like 8pm after taking my dog to the park, cooking dinner, getting other things done. The other thing that I think is so incredible about remote work is that I find that diversity of location provides diversity of thought. We're all living these totally separate lives, having these totally separate experiences, and all of that informs the way that we approach the work and how we approach each other. So in those rare moments when we do all get to share physical space, we're all bringing something different to the ideation process. But I also think that running a team and a business isn't just about the ideation, which is always magical when we get together in a retreat setting, but it's also about the implementation, which takes place when we settle back into our daily lives and are able to really focus and own our own work. And I think the best teams have a healthy mix of both, which is why I'm so excited about the idea of having longer, quote, unquote coworking calls, because it will allow us to have sort of virtual water cooler talk that we do miss out on as a remote team and provide us with the opportunity to maintain that individual momentum, but in an environment that feels collaborative, supportive and creative.
- [34:19]
Jenna Kutcher
Now, if you are a solo entrepreneur or solopreneur, I would challenge you to create a mini retreat for yourself. So change your environment, go to a coffee shop or even like check into a hotel solo if you can, and use that time to journal to map out a vision to finish something that's been hanging over you and commit to completing this before you leave that space. And so taking this idea of having a retreat where you have a very focused vision, you know why you're showing up, you're not leaving until it's done, is amazing. I used to check into A local hotel, if I had, like, a ton of content I needed to knock out, or if I needed to record a new course or vat a bunch of podcasts. And I was worried that the house was going to be loud. And so if you are able to do something like that, or just even working at a coffee shop and changing up your environment so that it feels unique, or maybe you grab yourself a latte or something fancy that just makes it feel special, consider hosting a mini retreat just for yourself as an entrepreneur so that you can really cast the vision. So that is kind of the summary of what our team retreat looked like. A few things that surprised me about the retreat, so the things that surprised me the most is I feel like the focus of our conversation was on brand positioning and brand messaging. And that was a little surprising to me because it's like we are nearly 14 years into entrepreneurship, and our company has done so many different exercises when it comes to copywriting and branding. But I feel like brand positioning in this age of. Of AI and making it so clear, here's who you are, here's who you serve, here's what you do, and making sure there is zero confusion and only clarity, I feel like that was where the majority of our conversations were. I also had this beautiful moment with Marissa after one of the nights we went and laid in a hotel bed together. And we were just talking about life and the vision of moving forward. And I was just telling her, you know, it's so hard for me to be making, like, really big decisions right now because Quinn is going to be starting school in the fall, and I feel like that's going to feel like a whole different ballgame. Like, for the last six years, we have had a child in our home every day. And so imagining having two kids in school all day during the school year, it's just going to feel very different. Like, I don't really know what it's like to work from a very quiet house. Like, I basically just plan my days thinking that I'm going to get interrupted around any corner. And typically I do. And so I was just telling her I'm at a very interesting place in my life where, like, my little ones are not so little anymore, and we're going to be entering a new stage as a family. We're going to be entering just kind of this new era. And so it's really hard for me to make decisions knowing that about six months from now, everything is going to change and everything I've known for the last six years is going to feel different. And so we talked a lot just about that and like where the brand is headed and, you know, what are we feeling with different advancements, like AI and how do we want to leverage it and what does that look like? And so there's just so many, like beautiful, raw conversations that don't necessarily happen in the day to day of like, hey, how's it going? How are the kids? What's new? Okay, here's what we're working on today. And so I felt like that was really important. And I also feel like as a leader, it's so important for people to be around you and to experience you. They see the online Persona, they see you in work mode, but what is it like when there isn't an audience around? Like, what is it like when you can just really share your heart? And so for me, it always feels so important to me to be able to have those candid conversations and to be able to reconnect people to me and the mission of the company because. Because at the end of the day, they are working for a company based around me. And if they don't feel like they truly know who I am, why I care, what I care about in this world, then what is the point of all of it? And so I just think that that is such a powerful piece of being in person is like making sure that your team knows who you are off the Internet, offline, that they know what you care about, what you're working on behind the scenes, what you're grappling with and like just adding the humanness back into the brand. Because I feel like over the years one of the biggest things I've recognized is like, you have to get super clear on where the business ends and where the brand ends and the human starts. And I feel like I've gotten so much better with that over recent years. But that means I also have to be willing and able to let my team into where the human starts. And what does that look like?
- [39:08]
Brooke
Hi, my name is Brooke and I just wanted to jump in real quick as someone who met Jenna for the first time in real life on this retreat. Previously I had worked on like the other side of partnerships with Jenna in a previous role. And then as this episode is going live, we'll have spent one year actually working inside of the brand. And so outside of these team meetings and like the very quick, hi, how are you? This is what I'm working on today. And like these quick check ins, it was really cool being able to meet her like in person and Having the opportunity to slow down and like, check in and really chat about some real life things and build trust that in a way you can really only do in person. And so in real life, it's so funny because, like, even as cliche as it sounds, she is exactly as she seems online. So, like, kind and caring and like, truly friends and family first mindset where it meets work, life balance, but just like truly living into that and so being able to take the time to sit down and and like, you know, giggle about funny stories or sharing baby names or eating all of the food at this resort, it was really cool to have that opportunity to understand each other on a personal level. Because as we're taking all of this back to working from home, I think that it builds a level of trust that it's harder to do and like, navigate in a truly online space because now we have this like, mentality of I trust that you're going to take care of your job because I now understand how you work and how you operate. So it was really cool being able to, like, take a peek behind the curtain and actually see how things are operating. So very fun.
- [40:41]
Jenna Kutcher
And so that was also just a really, really beautiful and surprising piece of. It is just like the depth and the richness of reconnecting with our team members. And also just like, I just adore who I work with. Like, I love how unique and quirky and hilarious and fun my team is. I love that we can hold space and have, like, really beautiful conversations about intense topics with love and respect. And I love having a team of all women. Like, I just think that women can take over the world and so much healing can happen when women gather. And it was just, it was awesome. Like, it was so awesome. So I came back from my team retreat and I just felt really enjoyed, inspired, I felt really reconnected. I felt excited about some of the projects we were working on. We were able to, like, hash out a few of, like, the details of some upcoming projects that we've got going on. We were able to, like, set aside and make separate meetings for when we got home about specific things that team members needed help with. And so it was absolutely, positively worth it. And the goal here is that we would do an annual team retreat for sure, potentially do it twice a year. And one of the things we're working out in the company is like, if we want to create some sort of bonus structure, bonus system. One of my really good friends, what they do is if they hit their revenue goals, then they get to go on A retreat that's like pure relaxation, no work, like a fun retreat. If they don't hit their revenue goals, they still get to go on a retreat, but then it's a working retreat and they've got to like look at the numbers and brainstorm storm and create new projects and ideas. And so I love that idea as like an incentive to keep the team bought in and excited and moving forward and have something in it for them. And so we're just kind of exploring like what does the structure look like and also being mindful of with a team of women, we've got people having babies, we've got people getting married. Like there are so many life stages that we encompass and hit on with a team of women. And so we've got to also be strategic about timing and what that looks like. And so that is kind of the behind the scenes of our team retreat. Here is your permission slip. Whether you have a team or not, you deserve this space to kind of zoom out and really do some deep work on the bigger picture. And I feel like a retreat is kind of a reset where momentum is born and vision is clarified. So if you have a team, especially remote one, do not underestimate the power of facing to face connection. Even if it's just once a year, it is absolutely worth it in my opinion. And if you don't have a team, create some sort of retreat like environment that inspires you and motivates you and causes you to kind of pause and get deeper in the vision, the mission and the positioning of what it is that you're creating. I hope you loved today's episode. It was so much fun to record this and share a little bit about my team and the amazing women behind me. And of course, until next time, Gold Diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals. Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the Gold Digger podcast. I hope today's episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action, and realigned you with your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to golddiggerpodcast.com for today's show Notes, discount codes for our sponsors, sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more. And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time. Gold Diggers.